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Ice-phase optothermal tweezers
Jianxing Zhou1,2, Yuhang Peng1,2, Peng Du1,2
1Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronics Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
Nature Communications
|June 3, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed ice-phase optothermal tweezers (IOT) for precise assembly of micro- and nanostructures. This new method enables rapid, programmable manipulation of diverse materials at cryogenic temperatures for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Cryogenic engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Materials science
Background:
- Deterministic assembly of heterogeneous micro- and nanostructures is difficult due to Brownian motion and material limitations.
- Existing methods lack precision and cross-material compatibility for complex structure fabrication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel platform for precise, programmable manipulation and assembly of diverse micro- and nanostructures at cryogenic temperatures.
- To overcome limitations of current assembly techniques, enabling fabrication of advanced materials.
Main Methods:
- Developed ice-phase optothermal tweezers (IOT) utilizing the ice-water interface for manipulation.
- Employed optothermally induced melting zones for directed transport and assembly with nanometer resolution.
- Manipulated various targets including nanoparticles, proteins, DNA, and microbubbles within ice.
Main Results:
- Achieved fast (10-100 μm/s) and programmable manipulation of diverse targets.
- Fabricated multi-material heterostructures with tailored anisotropic and chiral optical properties.
- Demonstrated nanometer-scale resolution in directed transport and assembly.
Conclusions:
- IOT provides a versatile cryogenic platform for meta-structure fabrication and nanoparticle studies.
- Enables applications in chiral photonics and polarization-controlled nano-optical devices.
- Unifies precise control across fluidic and solid-state regimes for advanced material assembly.
